project // no-sew tiny pumpkin quilt

Have you ever wanted to make a little quilt but you don't know how to sew? Or maybe you just want to have a cute bit of fall decor finished in a hurry? Then you should consider making a no-sew tiny quilt. I also considered calling this a fabric pixel art project, because that's kinda what it is. I see it as a blend of crafts that I love: quilting and cross stitch. But this takes WAY less time.

I started making these tiny quilts this fall when my friend Kristin of Woolly Petals announced her Ghost Party Sew A Long. I love her quilts (and even collaborated with her to make embroidery patterns for one!), but I knew that making a quilt was not gonna happen before Halloween. But I still LOVED those little ghosties made of so many fabrics. And an idea materialized.



What if I made just one ghost and made it tiny? Now, Kristin has an add-on to make her pattern much smaller than usual, but that would still require sewing and I'm not fast at that. So instead of sewing, I fused the tiny squares to felt. No sewing!

By the way, when I say tiny, I mean the squares on my finished project are 5/8". Because I'm fusing them, there's no seam allowance, so you cut the squares the actual size you want them. You could make them smaller. You could make them bigger. Also because I wasn't sewing, I decided to add some curves to my tiny qhost, which wasn't part of the Ghost Party pattern. They are a little wonky, but that's part of how this how thing goes.

When I made the ghost, I captured the process on video, but really just for fun. Not a whole tutorial. But people asked me more about how I did it, and so I thought I'd make a coordinating pumpkin and show the process better.



For this one, I didn't add curves, but kept the shapes more like traditional quilting. So half-square triangles. But I think it still absolutely works. You'll also notice that the backing and way I added a hanger is different from the ghost. That's mostly for variety!

These are hanging out together at my house, and having them not look exactly the same works well. But I also think that having different ways to make, essentially, the same thing is good. But now let's dive in and make a tiny quilt!



You will need:

Fabric scraps in orange, pink (or another background color), and a tiny bit of brown
Wool or wool blend felt - at least 4-1/2" for the tiny quilt and 5-1/2 x 6" for the backing
Heavy Duty Wonder Under or paper-backed fusible web - 4-1/2" square
Embroidery floss
Wood or bamboo skewer
Perle cotton
Rotary cutter, ruler, and cutting mat
Iron
Tracing paper
Needle
Scissors
Craft glue

Note: When choosing a color for the felt you'll fuse the fabric to, be mindful that some felt may show through a bit. I used white felt, but pink would blend well with all my colors.



Cut the fabric scraps into 5/8" squares. You will need one brown square, 18 orange squares, and 30 pink squares. Cut two pink and two orange squares in half from corner to corner.



Iron the Wonder Under to the felt you're using for the tiny quilt. Once it's cool, peel off the paper.



Arrange the fabric squares on the area of the felt with the fusible web. Follow the grid pattern below:

Try to keep the pieces all straight and lined up with each other. But also know that it's almost impossible to have them be perfect. That's par of the charm of this.



When you're satisfied with the placement of the pieces, gently lay a piece of tracing paper (or the paper backing from the Wonder Under) over the pieces. This is important so you don't end up with adhesive on your iron.

Iron to fuse the fabric to the felt.



Trim the edges with a rotary cutter so there's no extra felt showing on the sides. This is also when you can make your tiny quilt more square.



If you want a face on your pumpkin (and why wouldn't you? it's super cute!), embroider the face with six strands of embroidery floss. Use French knots for the eyes and a scallop stitch for the mouth.



Next, cut the backing felt to 5-1/2 x 6" if you haven't already done so. Cut the skewer to the same width as the tiny quilt. Utility scissors are helpful for this.



Stitch the skewer piece to the top of the felt backing. Use perle cotton and whip stitch to make two sets of stitches at each end as shown.



Slide your needle under the skewer between the sets of stitches to create a hanger. Make a loop and tie the ends together.



Glue the tiny quilt to the backing with a thin layer of craft glue.



Once the glue is dry (which doesn't take long!), you can hang your tiny quilt and enjoy pumpkin spice season! This is truly a quilt project you can make in an hour or two. No sewing machine needed.



For spooky season, these two tiny quilts are ready to hang out together. And ideas for more fall or Halloween designs are in the works, along with more tiny quilts for other holidays and cute stuff.



I think these would look especially adorable on a wall full of embroidery hoops and other artwork. Right? Pull out your scrap bins and start sewing...er...ironing!

pattern // autumn cuties cross stitch

We are officially in the season of autumn here, and I couldn't resist making a new mini cross stitch pattern! This really is a small pattern, but it's a fun way to celebrate my favorite season of the year in a big way. Best of all, it's free!

The chart itself is technically 33x33, but each block with a design is just 15x15 stitches. They are baby charts! This is designed to stitch all together as one mini pattern, but you could very easily stitch each section just on its own. Because they would make ADORABLE pins or magnets.

You can also easily adapt the colors. For example, if you wanted to make the pumpkin on its own, you could use black in the background for more of a Halloween look. Love yellow apples? Swap the yellow and red in that block, and maybe do the same in the leaf block!

Because the design is square, it would be so cute in a tiny frame, but you could also make it into a little ornament like this tutorial from Caterpillar Cross Stitch.

DOWNLOAD THE AUTUMN CUTIES PATTERN

I can't wait to see how YOU make your Autumn Cuties cross stitch!

printable // leaf stitching cards

What's better than walking through crunchy autumn leaves? Stitching them! Okay, so this isn't about stitching real leaves (but you can do that). It's about practicing some stitches on printable kawaii leaves. This is a fun project for nearly all ages.

A while back I made some printable autumn leaf lacing cards, which are similar in basic idea, but better suited for younger kids. These new stitching cards are ideal for kids who are learning embroidery, teens who like to make easy projects while hanging out with friends, and adults who just want to make something cute!



I made mine with running stitch, which is what I always suggest as a first stitch for anyone to learn. But you could also stitch on this with back stitch or holbein stitch for solid lines, and other stitches too if you know how to work it (tips on that at the end of this post!)

Stitching cards are such a fun way to try out a new craft. Before you know it, you'll FALL for embroidery!



Here's what you need:

Cardstock
Embroidery floss (I used fun colors!)
Scissors
Large embroidery needle

LEAF STITCHING CARDS PDF



Print the PDF on cardstock. Don't use regular paper because it will be too flimsy. Cut out the leaf shapes.



Use the needle to poke a hole on each dot. It can be helpful to set the leaf on a piece of corrugated cardboard when poking the holes.



Thread the needle with a piece of embroidery floss using all six strands. You can also use yarn if your needle is large enough. Tie a knot at the other end.



Start on the center stem (or midrib!), no matter which leaf shape you're using. Come up through the first hole and go back down through the next.

TIP: Don't pull the thread too hard or the knot will pop through the stitching card. If you're having trouble, you can tape the knot on the back.

After you stitch the center stem/midrib, end off the thread with a knot and then start again to stitch each vein from the outside edge to the middle and then out to the opposite edge.



On the back you can see how the thread travels and this is how each leaf is designed. There's also exactly the right number of dots/holes to it comes out even for running stitch or back stitch.



And there's your happy little leaf!

You can punch a hole and add a hanging loop to turn it into an ornament, attach it to the front of a card, use it as a bookmark, or just let it be a stitched leaf.

If you want to use other stitches, you just need to consider how you might need to prepunch the holes. For example, if you want to do chain stitch, you can use the dots as a guide and simply add an extra hole a the end as the tacking stitch. To do stem stitch, you probably want to add an extra hole between each dot.



Try out different stitches, unexpected embroidery floss colors, and just have fun making your leaves!

Want to make these with your classroom, library, church, or scout group? I'm very happy for you to do that! I also have a one-page printable instruction page for this project, available on my Ko-Fi page.

project: felt pennants for autumn

Updated September 2021

Autumn is here, and I'm ready for it! This project was first posted in 2012, but I still love it. Maybe because I still love the fall season.

To root for this delightful season that is upon us, I've made a little felt pennant. My mom still loves this pennant and pulled it out again this year. Back when I first make this she requested more of these, and ummm...I still haven't made them. But maybe? After all, it involves felt, embroidery and the fall...all of which I love!

If you'd like to welcome autumn and show how much you love this season, why not start with a super sweet felt decoration? But in addition to making an autumn pennant, if you scroll down, there's a set of bonus patterns that feature Halloween and Thanksgiving designs too. Now, let's make a pennant!



Here's what you need:
Felt (I used wool blend)
Perle cotton or embroidery floss
Iron
Scissors
Needle
Tracing paper or tissue paper
Pencil
Pins

DOWNLOAD THE AUTUMN PENNANT PDF

Cut out all of the pieces in the template from felt. Cut two of the long rectangles, fold at an angle as shown in the photo, then press with an iron.

(By the way, I can't say enough good things about ironing the wool blend felt a little before you use it for anything. It just makes a huge difference!)



Trace the "Autumn" lettering onto tracing or tissue paper. Stitch through the felt and paper at the same time. I used perle cotton and the chain stitch, which has a nice "school spirit" sort of feel.



After you've finished the embroidery, carefully tear away the paper so as not to tug the the stitches.



Place the angled strip of felt along the straight edge of the pennant, and place the folded strips in place behind the pennant. Pin in place.

Using a running stitch, sew along the edges of the strip. You should end up catching the folded strips with this stitching.




Sew on as many leaves as you want. I used a few stitches down the center, and I grouped my leaves in a couple spots.



Now you're ready to welcome autumn and cheer it on!

AND for those who support me on Ko-Fi, you can download a PDF to make the Autumn Pennant you see here, PLUS a whole lot more!

The four-page PDF includes the pennant pieces, hand-lettered patterns (Autumn, Harvest, yay FALL!, Boo!, happy HALLOWEEN!, trick OR treat, COUNT YOUR Blessings, and GIVE Thanks), and templates for felt cut-outs (leaves, apple, ghosts, pumpkin, candy, cornucopia and turkey)

GET THE BONUS PATTERNS ON KO-FI

It may be silly, but these really are getting me in the spirit of fall! I think they would look great tucked into a wreath, strung over a mirror, or just tacked up on the wall. Maybe I should get a jump on things, and try to make a bunch for Thanksgiving...